Putting a new Private SSL on Zencart

[JoeR]

Hi,

I just added a new private SSL, purchased from Siteground to my existing Zencart store. I had one problem, I'm not sure, it might be a newbie problem that all the clever people know the answer to, but I thought I'd share my solution anyway.

The story:
Basically, I bought the $74 private SSL, went through the registration procedure and the certificate was installed by siteground. It was all fairly straight forward and no problems there. some tips:

1. You get the SSL here: http://www.siteground.com/ssl_certificates.htm

2. You should think about the exact address you want to secure. eg. do you want "https://www.yourdomain.com" or do you want "https://yourdomain.com". The question being, do you have the "www" in the address or not. Once you chose, the certificate is fixed, no going back or changing.

2. As explained during the SSL buying process, you will need to setup an email address to authenticate the SSL. It has to be: webmaster@yourdomain.com

3. Zencart needs a few files changed, which is explained here:
http://www.siteground.com/tutorials/...ertificate.htm

That was all OK. Then I tried to access my site.

Instead of my zencart store I want to see, I get an apache/cPanel/WHM placeholder page, telling me I have "Great success !". The full text on that page is pasted at the bottom of this post.

Problem: I want my site, not this placeholder page I've automatically got after buying the Private SSL.

Solution: I had to replace "public_html/index.php" with a backup made prior to the SSL install (Actually I think that particular file is unchanged from the original zencart install).

After that, I have my site back and all is good.

Now I don't regard that as a very elegant solution, since I don't really know what I just changed/fixed. But it worked. My zencart site is now using https in the areas it should.

I thought I'd post it here in case anyone had the same issue. Hope someone finds it helpful or can elaborate on what I just "fixed".

Here is the placeholder page text:

"Great Success !
Apache is working on your cPanel® and WHM™ Server

If you can see this page, then the people who manage this server have installed cPanel and WebHost Manager (WHM) which use the Apache Web server software and the Apache Interface to OpenSSL (mod_ssl) successfully. They now have to add content to this directory and replace this placeholder page, or else point the server at their real content.
ATTENTION!

If you are seeing this page instead of the site you expected, please contact the administrator of the site involved. (Try sending an email to <webmaster@domain>.) Although this site is running cPanel, WebHost Manager, and Apache software it almost certainly has no other connection to cPanel Inc. or the Apache Group. Please do not send mail about this site or its contents to cPanel Inc. or the Apache Group.
About cPanel:

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About Apache HTTP Server:

The Apache HTTP Server is an open source web server which powers many of the worlds web sites. The Apache HTTP server is part of the Apache Group's many influential projects. Their efforts have helped shape much the world wide web, and they continue to be a dominating force in the web hosting industry."

[Silvia]

Hello,

This message appears when the domain name for which you set up the ssl is not pointed to the SiteGround server hosting your account. It usually stays for several minutes/hours, till the domain name DNS settings propagate correctly.

I hope this explains the situation and your website is fully working now...

[JoeR]

"It usually stays for several minutes/hours, till the domain name DNS settings propagate correctly."

OK, but it was there for a couple of days.

Would my replacement of the index.php have triggered a DNS update?

I had the message for days, then I replaced the file and had my website back in literally the next minute.

Regardless, SSL works now, and after enabling paypal, I finally have a live store, so I am happy

[Silvia]

Hello JoeR,

Sometimes the DNS settings propagate not that fast (highly unlikely) or your ISP might have some cache left. Honestly, the reasons for this error might be several. Unfortunately, since the problem is now gone we cannot recreate it and investigate it. Fortunately, the website is working now which is great. In any case, if something like this appears again, I would aadvise you to contact the SiteGround Technical Team that would be happy to assist you at any time. In fact, this is the best way to get fast resolution or explanation of the error you experience.